New Podcast Highlights Changes in ACO Final Rules, Opportunities for PTs

Friday, November 18, 2011

New Podcast Highlights Changes in ACO Final Rules, Opportunities for PTs

Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) give physical therapists the opportunity to participate in and create innovative interdisciplinary models of care that showcase the benefits of physical therapy—this is 1 of several key points outlined in the third APTA podcast in a special series on ACOs.

The podcast focuses on the changes between the Medicare Shared Savings Program proposed and final rules, including the streamlining of the quality reporting program from 65 measures around 5 domains to 33 measures around 4 domains. Other changes include assigning patients to ACOs on a prospective process, which allows ACOs to have a better understanding of their patient mix prior to implementing clinical and quality programs to improve care and lower costs, and removing the condition of participation that 50% of the primary care physicians must meet the electronic health record "meaningful use" criteria to participate in an ACO.